Centrifugal separator



Jan. 15, 1929.

w. c. LAUGHLIN CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Original Filed Oct, 30-, 1926' 2 Sheets-Sheet l ua-v iEErE E ka: 5: E

INVENTOR.

Q'MW ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. LAUGHLIN, OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO LAUGHLIN FILTER CORPORATION; OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR.

Continuation of application Serial No. 145,141, filed October 30, 1926. This application filed January 20, 1927. Serial No. 162,341.

This invention relates to centrifugal machines and more particularly to rotary separators for efficiently and continuously separating component parts of complex materials.

An object of the invention is the provision of a machine of improved construction capable of separating material into arts having relatively different and pre etermined moisture content.

A feature of the invention relates to the provision of an improved screw-propeller having a spiral flange dividing the bowl of the machine into compartments, with passages extending between certain of said compartments. According to this feature the spiral flange is a ertured so that certain parts of the material being acted upon can be returned and thus acted upon again. Another feature relates to the provision of a bowl of frusto-conical shape having a plurality of series of passages in the periphery thereof for feeding material to be acted upon at a predetermined rate.

This application is a continuation of my co-pending application Serial No. 145,141, filed October 30th, 1926, for centrifugal separator.

Additional objects of the invention will appear from the following descri tion and claims taken in connection with t e accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal section of the machine;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4; and

Figure 4 is an end view of the propeller looking at the small end thereof.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the following description and claims, parts, characteristic features and functions will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts or equivalent construction as the art will permit.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown a base 10 of conventional form, serving as a mounting for the machine. The separator and its associated parts are mounted upon the upper face of the base 10 by being bolted thereto. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the machine comprises generally an inverted hanger 11 secured t0 the base 10 and supporting a hollow shaft 12, a solid discharge box 13, a liquid discharge box 14, and a power transmitting device 15.

One end of the hollow shaft 12 is provided with an intake 20 with which registers a stationary inlet pipe 21 extending from a suitable container of raw material (not shown) and forming a source of material to be acted upon. The inlet pipe 21 is in communication with a bore 22 of the shaft 12 (see Figure 2). The bore 22 extends partially through the shaft 12 and into communication with aligned transverse apertures such as shown at 23, two in number (see Figure 3). As clearly seen in Figure 2, the solid discharge box 13 includes an end plate 24 having an aperture as at 25 sufficiently large to provide ample clearance with respect to the shaft 12, and having an opposed end plate 26 apertured as at 27, and an arcuate wall 28 secured to the end plates 24, 26 along their peripheral edges as by being bolted thereto, thus forming a chamber for the discharge of solid material, as will subsequently appear.

There is mounted upon the shaft 12 in a position to discharge into the solid discharge box 13 a rotary screw propeller 30, which may take the form illustrated in Figure 4.

As so illustrated, it includes a rotor of frusto conical shape the enlarged end of which may be formed cylindrically as at 31. The propeller also includes a hub portion 32 which is provided with an internal bore of such size as to fit snugly upon the shaft 12. The hub 30 has a keyed connection including keys such as 33 positioned in suitable key ways such as 34 on the shaft 12 by which the propeller 30 is fixedly mounted upon the shaft so as to rotate therewith. The propeller 30 is positioned on the shaft 12 so that its smaller end projects through the aperture 27 of the solid discharge box end plate 26 and thus into the interior of the solid dischar e box 13.

The outer ace of the propeller 30 between i the small end and the cylindrical ace 35,

and in combination with the hub 32 and end wall 36 there is inclosed within-the propeller an annular chamber 37 of triangu ar sec- .tion. The'hub 32' is apertured as at 38 to form a passage sufficiently largeto register with thetransverse apertures 23' of the shaft The end wall 36 of the screw propeller 3O ma be provided'with one or more core holes sue as at 41 to expedite the casting of this element, but these holes are preferably tapped for the reception of a suitable blind plug whereby the holes may be closed. The

sloping wall of the screw propeller 30 is also apertured as at 42 for a purpose which screw propeller isprovided with two spiral blades or flanges 44, 45, extending spirally around the periphery of the propeller 1n planes which are substantially perpendicular to the surface of the sloping wall 35.

The shaft 12 extends into operative connection with the power transmitting device 15 and thus to a power source shown in the form of a sprocket so as to be driven at a predetermined constant speed thereby as has been fully disclosed in my copending application hereinbefore referred to. The power transmitting device 15 also drives, but at a slightly differing speed, (and as more fully described in the co-pend'ing application hereinbefore mentioned, of which the present form-s a continuation) a rotor 62 which is mounted on a conventional friction reducing element such as a bearing 63 on the shaft 12 and thus is driven at a speed relatively different from the rate of movement of the shaft. The rotor 62 is provided on one lateral face with an integral annular flange 65 upon which there is secured an annular baffle plate 66. The baffle plate is formed of relatively thin metal and extends- ,in spaced parallel relation with the proximate face of .the rotor 62 thus forming one wall of a pocket 67 for the passage of fluids. The pocket 67 is in communication near. the periphery of the rotor '52 with radially extending slots 68 formed in the rotor.

i The rotor 62 has secured thereto-a tapered casing 70 which-is bolted as at 71 to form therewith a unitary rotor structure.

7 ner surface of therotor part 70 forms an enclosure for the blades 44, 45 of the inner rotor 30, the blades being snugly fitted therein. The sloping wall of the casing is substantially parallel to the sloping wall 35 of the inner rotor 30 and is apertured as at 71' in alignment with the passages42, 42 so as to permit insertion into the machine of a cleaning rod for cleaning the passages 23,

The in- 38. In the normal operation of the machine the aperture 7l'is closed as by a threaded I plug 72. The blades 44, 45 extend outwardly from 'the surfaces of the rotor 30 in such a direction as to form with the adjacent inner surface of the outer casing 70 substantially a right angle.

hollow casing having an aperture conforming to the outline of the tapered cas ng The liquid discharge box 14 includes a 7 0 and is mounted in fixed position upon the base 10. The liquid box is provided with interiorly disposed deflectors 81, 82 which extend from the end walls of the box in wardly and which are terminated so as to leave a passage 83 for the discharge of fluid into an annular chamber 84 formed by the deflectors 81, 82 and the peripheral wall of the box 14. The annular chamber 84 empties into a liquid discharge pipe 85 through which the liquid separated out from the ma terial-being acted upon may be drawn.

The spiral blades 44, 45 near the small end of the propeller 30 are provided with transverse passages which may take the form of apertures such as 90, 91 and which thus permit the passage of material between the compartments formed by the blades.

In operation, the driving motor 53 is started and drives the shaft 12 and the rotor 30 at a predetermined speed. The power source 53 also drives the sleeve 60 at a speed somewhat less than the speed of the shaft 12, the arrangement of the gears in the transmission 15 being preferably such that the difference in the speeds is relatively small. For example, the shaft 12 and screw propeller 20 may be driven at a speed of 1,000 revolutions per minute and the sleeve 60 at a speed of 996 revolutions per minute. Other speeds may be used or the speeds may be interchanged, however, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The

movement of the sleeve 60 is imparted 'to the tapered casing 70 and it will thus' be seen that this casing moves at a rate slightly different from the rate of movement ofthe propeller.

The material is fed in through the pipe 21 and is emitted from the bore 22 of the shaft 12 through the apertures 38 into the chamber 37 by centrifugal force. The material is then discharged through the apertures 43 into the space between the blades 44, 45 of the propeller. In this space the fluid and solid particles are effectively separated by the action of centrifugal force and by virtue of their relatively different specific gravities. The fluid passes off and around the edge of the baflle as indicated by the arrow 90. The fluid moves into the pocket 67 and through the radial 'slots 68 and ,is thrown outwardly through the annular passage 83 and into the chamber 84. It then falls by gravity to the bottom of the chamber 84 and flows out of the machine through the pipe 85.

The non-fluid part of the material is forced by .the screw action of the blades 44, 45 towards the smaller end of the screw propeller 30. Inasmuch as it is being constantly subjected to the action of the centrifugal force, moisture continually separated oif from the material, and this nioisture is acted on by the centrifugal force and moves along the inner face of the outer casing towards the right of Figure 2 until it is discharged at the fluid outlet. Thus the material as it approaches the smaller end of the propeller becomes constantly drier. Furthermore, the driest portion is, at each stage, nearer the outer edge of the blade. As it is being pushed towards the left of Figure 2, it finally-reaches the part of the blade having the apertures 90, 91. The drier or outermost portion of the material is unaffected by these apertures, but the inner portion can pass through the apertures 90, 91 and towards the right of Figure 2 into the previous compartment where it can be acted upon again for additional drying. Thus the more moist part of the ma terial at the final stage can be acted upon repeatedly if necessary, until it has become sufliciently dehydrated and is discharged.

that is claimed is y 1. A rotary separator of the bowl type comprising a frusto conical casing having a discharge opening for fluid and a second discharge opening for solids, and a rotor within said casing having a sloping wall substantially parallel with and spaced from the inner wall of said casing, said inner rotor having perforated spiral flanges dividing the space between said Walls into compartments.

2. A rotary separator of the bowl type comprising a frusto conical casing having a discharge opening at each of its ends, a differentially driven rotor positioned within said casing having a sloping wall uniformly spaced from the inner wall of said casing and having perforated spiral flanges dividing the space between said flanges.

3. A rotary separator of the bowl type comprising a frusto conical casing having a peripheral discharge vent for fluid at its large end and a solid discharge opening at its small end, and a rotor within said casing having a sloping Wall substantially parallel with and spaced from the inner wall of said casing and having spiral flanges dividing the space between said walls into compartments, said flanges having near the smaller end of the rotor a series of passages therethrough for transmitting a portion of the material to be acted upon again.

4. A rotary separator of the bowl type comprising a frusto conical casing having a discharge opening at each of its ends, a differentially driven rotor positioned within said casing having a sloping wall uniformly spaced from the inner wall of said casing and having a pair of spiral flanges dividing the space between said flanges, said flanges having near the smaller end of the rotor a series of passages therethrough for transmitting a portion of the material to be acted upon again.

5. In centrifugal apparatus, a tapered rotary casing having an annular material chamber, said chamber having a plurality of series of discharge passages disposed for the emission of material from the chamber by the action of centrifugal force, a plurality of spiral flanges positioned on the exterior of the casing and having near the smaller end of the casing a series of passages through each flange, and a second rotary casing having its inner wall substantially perpendicular to and snugly fitted for said flanges to oppose the escape of the material radially.

6. In centrifugal apparatus the combination with a hollow driven shaft, a rotor having a sloping peripheral wall mounted on the driven shaft, a spiral flange on said rotor inclined toward the smaller end of said rotor, and a hollow casing enclosing said flange, said flange having'passages extending therethrough for transmitting a portion of the material so as to be acted upon repea-tedly.

7. A rotary separator of the bowl type, comprising a screw propeller having a taper-ing spiral flange dividing the bowl of the machine into compartments, said flange having passages extending between certain of said compartments.

8. A rotary separator of the bowl type including a screw ropeller having a tapering spiral flange ividing the bowl of the machine into compartments, said flange being apertured for the transmission of predetermined parts of the material to be acted upon repeatedly.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 19th day of January A. D. 1927.

WILLIAM C. LAUGHLIN. 

